AUSringers.com

2010 N24 Australian update - hour 11

The Nürburgring 24 hour race is approaching half distance and the field is currently deep into night time racing. Sunrise is still a couple of hours away and when the sun does come up race goers will welcome a new leader.

The #1 Manthey Porsche was comfortably in the lead until it was involved in a crash with a slower car. The drama didn’t end there, either, as the #100 Audi R8 LMS which was running in second place also crashed out in a separate incident.

This has left the #99 Audi R8 LMS and the #9 Porsche GT3 R Hybrid in first and second place, with the Audi holding a slender 03s lead after 72 completed laps. Amazing stuff!

An updated list of placings for Aussies and Kiwis is provided below and, thankfully, here is a working link to LIVE TIMING. Next update will come in a few hours.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 N24 Australian update - hour 3

Three hours of the Nürburgring 24 hour race have elapsed and after the break you can see the placings of the teams with Australian and New Zealand drivers. It’s been a bit tricky to compile this information as the live results from the official website do not appear to be working properly. Therefore the results have been sourced via the N24 iPhone App.

At the head of the field the #1 Manthey Racing Porsche GT3 R put in a cracking opening lap. Starting from fifth on the grid Marcel Tiemann took the lead of the race before the cars entered the Nordschleife. At this stage it is looking very comfortable as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 Nurburgring 24 hour race - LIVE streaming

Here is the link to the live stream for the 38th Nürburgring 24 hour race:

• Streaming 38. ADAC-Zurich 24h-Race

Remember, live audio in English is provided by Radio Le Mans. For a guide to other ways of following the race see this earlier AUSringers post.

Audi R8 LMS to start N24 from pole after dominant qualifying

Audi have claimed their first pole position at the Nürburgring 24 hour race. They did it in style, too, with the first four grid positions being held by Audi R8 LMS entries. Pole sitter and three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner proved the R8’s dominance during qualifying even further by setting a new lap record of 8 minutes 24.753 seconds.

Full details after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

EXCLUSIVE: MINI E Race - the complete Nürburgring lap

Back in April it was announced a specially prepared MINI E Race had lapped the Nürburgring in under 10 minutes. In this age of Porsche v Nissan lap wars sub-10 minute laps times are nothing too special. But, when you consider that the MINI E used to post this lap did so under full electric power, with zero emissions, then the achievement begins to take on a new perspective. That’s because it was a world first.

At the time a brief video was released to YouTube. It was great to see the MINI in action and all, but it was a highlights reel than ran for around 90 seconds and there is an audio track over the top of the raw footage. You want to see the full lap, right?

Through graft and persistence AUSringers can now show you the entire 9 minute 51 second lap. The footage is unedited and there is no extra audio.

A few things stand out. Firstly, just how foggy the conditions were when this time was recorded. Visibility in some sections was severely compromised. It was a closed track, of course, but that didn’t make things that much easier for the driver Thomas Jäger.

You will also notice the lack of engine noise, of course. It’s not totally quiet and there are some whining sounds emanating from the drivetrain. Under braking, too, you can hear the MINI E whirring away. Apart from that, though, the only other noise you hear is the growl of the semi slick tyres from time to time.

While watching the lap you can see the timer mounted at the base of the speedometer so as to keep an eye on progress. Incidentally, when the speedo needle is pointing upright the car is doing 130km/h. Top speed on the Döttinger Hohe straight was 187km/h.

Take the jump now to watch the world’s first zero emission lap of the full Nürburgring Nordschleife. For more on the MINI E Race click HERE.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 N24 - Volkswagen pre-race press release

Volkswagen gave enjoyed class wins at the last two Nürburgring 24 hour races. First with the Golf GTI, then with the Scirocco GT24. In 2010 VW are pinning their hopes on the Scirocco GT24 CNG. It’s fuelled with bio natural gas and emits up to 80% less CO2 emissions than conventional fuels.

With around 330kW on tap these Sciroccos can shift. So much so that during a VLN preparation race a few weeks back  Danish driver Nicki Thiim set a lap time of 8 minutes 47 seconds. That’s the full Nordschleife, plus Nürburgring Grand Prix track remember. A total of 24.4km. Impressive, hey!

This year car #116 is fitted with an electro-hydraulic differential lock. Closely related to the XDS found in the current Golf GTI it should help to reduce the effects of understeer.

More from Volkswagen after the break, including another 19 images of the gorgeous Scirocco.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 N24 - Audi pre-race press release

Last year Audi very nearly won the Nürburgring 24 hour with its R8 supercar at its first attempt. This year they are back with seven cars, split between the three teams of Abt Sportline, Black Falcon and Phoenix Racing.

Some of the drivers at the wheel include Hans-Joachim Stuck, Frank Biela and Markus Winkelhock. Audi’s full release can be read after the jump. Also included is a nice Nordschleife map graphic. Looks like the map was sourced from last year’s very cool R8 LMS media kit.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 N24 - Aston Martin pre-race press release

Aston Martin is returning with a factory presence at the Nürburgring 24 hour for the fifth race in succession. The V12 Vantage enjoyed a class win at last year’s race and is back with some fancy Meccano on its boot. Making its motor racing debut is the big four-door Rapide. Aston’s CEO Ulrich Bez will be one of the drivers behind the wheel, making him possibly the coolest CEO of any manufacturer around.

The full pre-race press release from Aston Martin can be read after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 N24 - Lexus pre-race press release

Lexus are back at the Nürburgring again this year with two of their LFA supercars. The 2009 debut of Lexus at the N24 wasn’t an outstanding success, with one of the entries withdrawing due to mechanical issues and the other car placing fourth in class out of five finishers. With lessons learnt, they’ll be hoping for better results in 2010.

You can read the pre-race press release from Lexus after the jump. As a special treat to get you in the mood for this weekend there is also a video of the LFA lapping the Nordschleife filmed during the 2009 race.

Read the rest of this entry »

2010 N24 - Porsche pre-race press release

Porsche have a strong factory presence again for this year’s Nürburgring 24 hour race. Can the Manthey Racing team make it five wins on end? Will Chris Harris and his mates bring home a class win in the GT3 RS? And how will that Hybrid 911 fare?

Check out the official pre-race release from Porsche after the jump.

UPDATE: A short promo clip for the GT3 R Hybrid has been added at the end of this article.

Read the rest of this entry »